Granger to miss at least the first two regular season games

Pacers forward Danny Granger continues to be bothered by strained left calf and it’ll keep him out at least the first two games, Pacers coach Frank Vogel declared Sunday after practice. The Pacers open the regular season on Tuesday against the Orlando Magic, and then they play in New Orleans on Wednesday.

“He’s just doing some light shooting and stuff,” Vogel said. “As long as he’s feeling anything down there, [the training staff is] going to be cautious with it.”

Rasual Butler keeping his non-guaranteed roster spot is partially because of the uncertainty surrounding Granger’s health. They want to make sure that they have enough depth at the wing spot. Granger’s role will be filled by a number of guys.

“There’s minutes to be earned with Solomon [Hill] and (Orlando Johnson) and Rasual [Butler] at the backup wing, but I also have the flexibility of playing George [Hill] and C.J. [Watson] together,” Vogel added.

Granger, who was aiming to overcome a knee injury (that kept him out for the majority of last year) in the preseason, first strained his left calf back on Oct. 16, in a preseason game at home against Dallas. Two nights later, he started and played almost 16 minutes in Chicago before checking out due to pain.

This calf injury further delays his return to the court. The next update will come later this week, following their return from New Orleans.

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Scott Agness is in his second season as a multimedia contributor for Pacers.com. He delivers articles, blog posts, interviews, and videos. He is a graduate of Indiana University where he was part of broadcasts on the IU Radio Network, Big Ten Network, IUHoosiers.com and WIUX. He is the founder and editor of VigilantSports.com.